


Blind Heart

by kazosa



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 19:27:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15892566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kazosa/pseuds/kazosa
Summary: Working with Richard for 8 years on Supernatural, he thought he knew everything there was to know about (Y|N). When she tells him that she wants to go to SDCC with him, he's all for it. When he sees her being friendly with Norman Reedus, he becomes jealous because he never knew she was friends with him. After some heated exchanges, the three go out for drinks with the SPN cast and something unexpected happens.





	Blind Heart

     It was Friday morning in San Diego. Rich’s flight arrived from Vancouver the day before and (Y|N) was supposed to be with him but some airline FUBAR had left her at the terminal to make other arrangements.

     _“Rich,” you assured him, “I promise, I’ll get there as soon as I can, even if I have to drive, I’d get there by Saturday.”_

_“Nope. There has to be a better solution. There’s gotta be something else we can do,” he argued. That was one thing you were sure he loved to do._

_“Yes, and that’s for you to get where you are contractually obligated to be,” you put your hands on his shoulders and tried to turn him toward the gate._

_Rich was one of the best men you had ever known, and it gave you a jittery flutter every time he looked at you like that. That look that said he wanted more from you, but you just couldn’t take that next step with him. You were gun-shy and poor Rich was being as much a gentleman as ever._

     Grudgingly, he’d gotten on the plane, knowing she was right had not made the decision any easier. He liked (Y|N), a lot. Ever since she’d started on the show, he’d noticed her. Things had never worked out to where he could ask her out on a date. Either he’d been seeing someone, or she was. He did notice one thing, he’d never seen her date another actor. She didn’t really talk about her personal life. In showbusiness, people either couldn’t keep their personal live private or they were bulldogs of privacy.

     Rob and he were in the greenroom waiting until everything was ready for the walk around the floor. Rich pulled out his phone and checked his texts and social media again.

     “Dude,” Rob said next to him, “she’ll be here.”

     “Robbie, I shoulda stayed,” he lamented.

     “She knows how to fend for herself,” Rob reasoned.

     Snapping out of his worried mood, he made sure he had his pass properly secured on his lanyard and left with Rob to go do press.

 

     Your original flight with Rich got messed up. You were supposed to fly with him to San Diego, but the airline overbooked the flight. As usual, everyone was too important to take a later flight, and since you didn’t NEED to be in San Diego until the next day, you gave up your spot and took the next available flight. Unfortunately for you, that meant spending the night in the terminal to get the early flight out the next morning.

     Sleep in the terminal had been elusive at best and you weren’t feeling very cordial when your flight finally started boarding. The airline didn’t even give you the courtesy of upgrading your seat. Once you’d settled in your seat, you got out your headphones, putting them around your neck, preparing for the long flight to San Diego. You got your phone out of your purse and text Rich that you were in your seat then started looking for some music to drown out any of the flight noises.

     “Supernatural, huh?”

     You hadn’t been fast enough. Your neighbor to your left was feeling chatty. The girl next to you couldn’t have been more than twenty-five. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and was dressed like a Winchester, many layers and a flannel shirt.

     After your night on the terminal floor, you’d changed into your spare clothes, comfy plaid lounge pants and a solid black Supernatural shirt with an anti-possession symbol on the breast pocket. You squirmed in your seat, both for the unwelcome intrusion (and clear “I don’t want to talk” headphones around your neck) and to get comfy. All you wanted to do was get some sleep on the flight. Any little bit would help for your long day in San Diego. It would have to wait, you knew ignoring her wouldn’t help.

     With a faint smile on your face, you nodded, “Yeah, I like it.”

     “I’ve never seen that shirt design before. Where did you get it?” she asked.

     “Amazon,” you lied.

     “Oh cool,” she turned in her seat to face you. “So. Are you a Sam-girl, or a Dean-girl?”

     It was a question every fan seemed to ask other fans. Knowing Jared and Jensen as well as you did, it was a tough question to answer. Usually, you told people you were a Dean girl, but this time was different.

     “Gabriel,” you answered.

     “Oh! I love Gabriel!” she exclaimed.

     Briefly, you thought, “Huh, me too.” Richard was the only person, in your opinion, that could ever play the mischievous archangel. If you hadn’t sworn off ever dating another actor eight years ago, you would have gone after Richard. You’d admired his work ethic, loyalty, the respect he gave people, generosity, humor…never mind you thought he was damned good looking. You had more than a little bit of a crush on him.

     You and your neighbor chatted on for a bit and about a half hour into the flight, she saw how tired you were and finally let you get some much-needed rest. You put your headphones on and started your playlist. Closing your eyes, you thought of Richard and his grey shirt that you liked, the way he left an extra button undone. Sometimes you thought he could read your mind with the way he would smirk at you. You fell asleep thinking about what it would be like to slip your hand inside that extra undone button…

 

 

     Making do with the sleep you got on the airplane, you went to your hotel for a quick shower, got into your con outfit, and got a cab to the convention center. Rich had sent you several texts while you were sleeping and on the way to your hotel.

     **“Text me when you can.”**

**“Are you on the ground?”**

**“Where are you?”**

**“ _In the cab, going to my hotel.”_**

**“There you are! Do you need a ride here?”**

**_“Rich, shouldn’t you be working?”_**

     You’d managed to get a cab to the hotel just fine, apparently, you were incapable of getting one again.

     **“I’ll stop pestering you once you’re here.”**

**“ _I doubt it. See you soon.”_**

     It never failed to make you get butterflies when you got a text from Rich. Of course, you were excited to go see him… and everyone else, but there was something about the texts. You passed off his concern for you as the friendly thing to do and nothing more. You liked Rich a lot, probably too much. The last time you’d dated someone you worked with, it hadn’t ended well. To make matters worse, he’d become mega-famous and you had to see his face everywhere. If you got together with Rich, you weren’t sure you could take it if it ended.

     Your cab driver pulled up to the convention center and let you out amongst the shocking amount of people that were outside the building lining up for their passes. Rich, of course, had told you exactly where to go to bypass the crowds so you could get your special access pass.

     “Name please?” the convention worker asked.

     “(Y|F|N)(Y|L|N),” you answered.

     Her head snapped up to look at you.

     “Oh good, you’re here! The Supernatural people have been… eager for you to get here,” she said and picked up her radio.

    Two other convention workers checked your ID and located your lanyard and other necessary items for your weekend at the con.

     “…could someone in the SPN group let him know she’s here?”

     You looked at one of the other girls, “Oh God. Has Rich been bugging you all?”

     “Not sure who was asking,” she answered. “Just that someone has been asking every fifteen minutes.”

     “Sorry,” you apologized, “I got here as soon as I could.”

     She handed you your pass with a smile. Putting it around your neck, you grabbed your things and they pointed you in the direction of the Supernatural green room.

 

 

     If it hadn’t been for the tattoos on her legs, he might not have recognized her. He, Rob and Misha were coming back from interviews when he saw her. He was so used to seeing her in cargo pants, occasional shorts, and tee shirts. A dress was new territory. She was even wearing high heels.

     “Hey you. About time you got here,” he was loud enough to get her attention.

     When she turned, she took his breath away. The hem of her dress flared out from her legs and the smile she had for him did him in. She seemed to glide across the floor as she closed the space between them. With her arms up stretched, he gladly gathered her to him for a hug. He held her tightly to him and managed to resist the strong urge to kiss her bare shoulder. After just a moment too long, he let her go and smiled a bit when her hand went up to smooth her hair.

     “Me? I’ve been here over an hour. I got to hear all about how you’ve been giving the staff a hard time,” you admonished him.

     “I _am_ contractually obligated to do work while I’m here, miss,” he retorted. “Bob-o, when’s our next thing?”

     You were pretty certain that giving the event staff a run for their money was not the kind of work he should have been doing. You turned to Rob and he checked his watch and schedule on his phone.

     “Not for an hour and a half. We’ve got the signing thing,” he told Rich.

     “Perfect! We can go down to the floor and check out the booths,” he’d wanted to give you the full con experience since you’d first mentioned wanting to go.

     The floor was paced with people and Rich walked fast so you had to catch up to him in order not to lose him. You took his hand to both help stay with him and to make him slow down a little. He finally slowed and looked back at you in surprise but smiled and curled his fingers around yours. His eyes were so warm. You knew you were walking a fine line with him, but you were starting not to care.

     There were quite a few cool booths and Rich introduced you to people you never knew he knew. He had a lot of cool friends and acquaintances. He groaned a little when you made him stop at the Charlie the Impala booth.

     “C’mon, Rich! Jensen won’t let us touch Baby, we can sit in this one!” you were begging. You got to see the Impala’s on set, of course, but you couldn’t get near the “hero” cars.

     Rich talked to the owner, who, of course, recognized Rich and he let you both get in the car next.

     “You two want a picture?” he asked. “We can get one for you. And if you don’t mind, can we take pictures for the website?”

     You were all for it as long as you got to sit in it with Rich. Richard hemmed and hawed, as you walked around the gorgeous car. You stuck your head in the passenger window and looked at your friends’ signatures all over the dash. Rich finally came over and leaned in the driver’s side window to look at you.

     “Let’s do this,” his voice was a low rumble and it gave you a jolt up your spine. He probably had no idea how sexy he could be.

     Your excitement for the car took over and you reached for the door handle and yanked it open. The vinyl of the seat groaned slightly with your weight as you slid in and closed the door. Sitting still for a moment, you just took it all in. The car owner had done a really good job restoring the car. It was absolutely perfect, and it even smelled like an old car. You knew you shouldn’t be surprised, but it was just more than you could have hoped for. Charlie was a sexy car. The only thing you needed was to drive one of them. Maybe you could bribe Jensen and the car guys to let you take one out sometime.

     “Ready for the picture?” the photographer came over to where Rich was in the driver’s seat.

     Rich moved his left arm to rest on top of the down window, his right arm on the top of the bench seat. He looked at you and raised his eyebrow, his head tipping his head ever so slightly away, motioning for you to come over. You didn’t need to be asked twice and you carefully slid across the seat and tucked into Rich’s side. Slouching in the seat, you rested your head on his shoulder.

     Like most photo ops you’d ever done, you got precious seconds of time before the picture snapped and it was over. After the quick photo, and you were both out of the car, Rich checked his phone for messages.

     “Robbie’s losing his mind,” he smirked. “Ten texts asking where we are.”

     You watched him type a response and hit send.

     “How much time do you have? Are you late?” you asked.

     “Still got ten minutes, but he’s three already, freaking out,” he told you.

     Though the SPN signing booth wasn’t far, it took at least ten minutes to make it to the booth. The people around Rich either parted like the Red Sea, or they crowded around wanting to talk or say hello. Rich had taken your hand this time. Looking over at him, it was hard not to appreciate the extra button undone on his gray shirt. He looked so damn good. A flood of dirty thoughts ran through your head. To distract yourself, you tried to think of a word that adequately described what you wanted to do to Rich.

     “Devour,” you murmured.

     Rich must have heard you, “You hungry?”

     “Um…” you couldn’t think of a good cover, “oh look, here we are!”

 

 

     The fellas all came over to “ooh” and “ahh” over (Y|N) and her “con dress” and her, he supposed. She looked really good. She’d done up her hair and he noticed she’d put on a little makeup. It was a look he wasn’t used to seeing on her. Of course, he thought she looked cute in her cargo pants and tee shirts with boots. He thought she looked cute after a long day and her hair would be a mess. It irked him a little how the boys were all fawning over her, but he said nothing.

     About a half hour into the signings, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find (Y|N)’s gorgeous face smiling at him.

     “Rich, if you don’t mind, I saw a few friends when I got in and want to go say hi,” she said.

     “Sure, do what you want. I’ll be here a bit longer,” he said.

     Watching her dress sway as she walked away, he appreciated the shape of her. Again, he thought about taking her out to dinner. Just (Y|N) and him, no one else. They always had a great time together, but there were always other people around.

     When the crowds dwindled for signings, it gave Rich a chance to look around and see where (Y|N) was. When he finally spotted her, he was a little surprised at who she was with. He moved down the line to Jensen, the one person who knew her better than herself.

     “Did you know (Y|N) knew Norman Reedus?” he asked Jensen.

     Jensen looked quickly at rich then finished his signing. He followed Rich’s gaze to where (Y|N) was talking and laughing with the man in question.

     “Dude, I thought you two talked?” Jensen asked.

     “She obviously knows the guy, right?”

     Jensen finished up with the last person in his line and turned back to Rich.

     “Uh, yeah, she knows him. You really need to talk to her about it though,” Jensen told him.

     “What? You obviously know something I don’t. What’s the deal?” Rich asked.

     Jensen moved him away from the cluster of people in their booth.

     “Look man, she’d kill me if she knew I told you this,” Jensen looked Rich dead in the eye to make his point. “Before she came to us, she worked on The Walking Dead for a season and a half. They were…close.”

     “She’s been over there a while…” he said more to himself, not quite processing what he said until, “What do you mean they were ‘close’?”

     Jensen sighed. “Richard, they dated. Couple years. They’re still friends, but it’s still hard for her. You tell her I told you any of this,” he clapped his hands loudly and spread them wide, “disavowed. Done.”

     “What? Dramatic much?”

     “I’m serious. You want to know more, ask her. I don’t do girl-talk,” Jensen told him and grabbed his discarded jacket and left the area with Clif and Jared.

     Rich had known (Y|N) a while and she had never mentioned that she had dated one of the most recognizable people in showbusiness. Not even a casual mention of even knowing te guy. Not even a word about even working on The Walking Dead. Not a peep about being friends with him. They’d gotten close over the last eight years and it hurt his feelings a little that it never came up. He watched them talking happily for a few moments before he’d had enough and decided to interrupt.

     His pass easily got him access behind the scenes and he found Norman and (Y|N) in the backstage part of The Walking Dead signing booth. He turned the corner and found them talking quietly together. He didn’t like the way Norman was looking at her. (Y|N) was beautiful, even when she wasn’t wearing a dress that showed off her figure and legs. Did Norman even appreciate how messy her hair would get at work or how cute she was bundled up for winter? Did Norman have a hat that she would snatch off his head and wear around just to annoy him?

     “Hey!” he came striding up like he was king shit of the con.

     You turned around startled by the loud sound of Rich’s voice that came from behind you.

     “Oh my God, Rich, you scared me!” you put your hand over your heart in hopes of stilling the mad pace it was keeping. “Are you on break?”

     “No, no. We’re done,” he was feeling a little pissy. “Got done and couldn’t find you. Thought I lost you.”

     “I’m sorry,” you apologized. “I didn’t think I’d been gone that long. I lose track of time when I’m with Norman.”

     Feeling like a child caught in a lie, you didn’t think to introduce the two men. Instead, Norman stood up and introduced himself.

     “Hi, I’m Norman, nice to meet you,” Norman said, not missing the irritation in Rich’s eyes.

     “Richard,” he said, sizing him up.

     You watched the weird vibe between the two men before you realized that you were probably late to meet up with Kim and Briana in the greenroom. Being dressed up, you didn’t have on your usual watch and couldn’t check the time. Instead you grabbed Rich’s wrist to look at his watch.

     “Damnit Norm, I’m late to meet up with Kim and Bri, told them I’d be by now. This always happens!” You were only half angry with him. It had been good to see him and things had gone well and weren’t too awkward. You turned back to Rich, “I’m sorry, I gotta go.”

     “Go. I’ll catch up. I want to chat with Norman for a sec,” Rich told you, letting you off the hook.

     You hated being late and you felt bad for taking off on Rich again, but at least he was understanding. Not knowing what else to do you gave Rich a hug and kissed his cheek. Norm always gave you warm hugs and his full attention. That part had never changed. The lights were dimmer backstage so he had off his sunglasses. Reaching for him, he pulled you in and you saw the slightest wink as he brought you in close. Holding the embrace a bit too long and a bit more lewd than usual, you could feel Rich’s eyes burning into your back. As Norm released you, his hands cupped your face and he kissed you softly on the lips.

     With your back still turned, you looked at Norman and mouthed the words “What the fuck?”

     Norm just smirked and said, “See ya later, sweetheart,” and nudged you on your way.

     Rich’s gaze followed (Y|N) as she walked away, he sound of her heels clicking on the cement floor, her dress swaying side to side with each step. It was mesmerizing, but he made himself turn back to Norman.

     “So, you work with her, huh?” Norm asked, noticing the glare. “She’s amazing.”

     “I agree. Hard worker. Great friend,” Richard assented.

     “God, she looks good. You seeing her?” Norm asked, hoping to get an emphatic response.

     Rich narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him.

     “No, we’re just friends,” he crossed his arms.

     Norm looked over his shoulder in the direction of where (Y|N) had disappeared.

     “Think she’d take me back?” Norm knew he was needling him, it was all over his face, but he kept going. “We’re gonna meet up later, you wanna come?”

     Having never spoken to Norman before, Rich couldn’t tell if he was being baited or not, but it got his blood pressure up anyway.

     “I don’t know what happened between you two, but if it was enough to make her walk, I would put money on her not taking you back. As for the meet up, I’ll have to get back to you on that,” he was done talking. “Nice meeting you.”

     Norman had always been good at reading a situation and had noticed the way Richard was looking at (Y|N). If that guy didn’t have feeling for her at least a little bit, he would eat his shirt. Richard had jealousy written all over his face.

     “Hey man, if you’re into her, just say so,” Norman said. “She’s cool as hell.”

     Rich wanted to tell Norman that his and (Y|N)’s personal lives were none of his business, but he held back. They were backstage, but it was still a very public place and the last thing he wanted to do was create a scene and get (Y|N) drug into the middle of it.

     “Thanks for the advice,” he said sarcastically and finally walked away.

 

 

     Rich was taking his sweet time getting back, you’d noticed. Every time the door opened, you checked to see if it was him. You hoped that Norman wasn’t giving him too hard of a time. You really wanted them to get along. Your feet were also killing you and you really wanted to get back to the hotel to get into more comfortable clothes. It was fun to look pretty for a while, but ma, was it painful.

     “Do you need to get back to your hotel?” Kim asked.

     You looked at the door again and then to your phone for the clock. Norman was only in town for a few more hours and you needed to get going, but you wanted to wait for Richard.

     “Um…yeah,” you gave her a sheepish smile. “I was hoping to go back to the hotel with Rich.”

     “I’m sure he bumped into ten people he knows. You know how it is with him,” Kim reasoned.

     You did know what it was like. Everybody loved Rich. That wink that Norm gave you though. What was that about? And the kiss right before you went back to the greenroom? It was pretty innocent, and the only thing you felt was the burning heat of Richard’s glare into your back, but he hadn’t let you in on the fact that he was going to do it.

     “Yeah,” you said to Kim, “I need to get out of these clothes. I feel weird in them.”

     “I bet Rich will help you get out of them,” Briana chimed in.

     Kim burst out laughing.

     “C’mon, (Y|N), you had to have noticed the way he looks at you,” Kim said.

     “I bet he’d rip your dress off with his teeth,” Briana mused.

     “Stop!” you pleaded. Before you had time to be fully embarrassed, you turned to see Rich staring back at you.

 

 

     _What the hell was that? Who the hell did he think he was treating (Y|N) like that? What was he trying to get at? Was he deliberately trying to make him mad, ‘cause that was sure as hell working. And why didn’t (Y|N) tell him off, or even tell him that she knew one of the most recognizable faces in showbusiness, let alone that she had dated the guy? Did she want him all over her like that? Was she wanting to get back together with him, too?_

     He had no business being angry, and he knew it. He had no claim on her, but he wanted to. He wanted her. He wanted her to have eyes for no one but him. He went down the corridor and past the SPN greenroom door, he wasn’t ready to go back in there yet. Instead, he continued walking and thought about what to do for the evening.

     There was no way he was going to let (Y|N) go to that meet up without him. After all, he was invited, right? He needed to know if there was anything left between the two of them. He wasn’t they type of guy to not go after the woman he wanted, but he also wasn’t one to get in the way when he wasn’t wanted in return.

     Finally making a decision about what he was going to do, he turned around and went back to the SPN greenroom. He took a calming breath and gently pushed open the door. He could hear Briana talking.

     “I bet he’d rip your dress off with his teeth.”

     Had he walked in on them talking about Norman? Carefully, he stepped inside just as he heard (Y|N) say ‘stop’. She turned toward him like she was going to head for the door.

     “There you are!” she exclaimed. “I was worried you fell in,” or that he’d killed Norman, “Are you ready to go?”

     “Yeah, I’m ready,” he said.

     Your feet were screaming at you now and you started walking toward the door again.

     “Ladies,” Rich waved at them and followed you out.

 

 

     You didn’t know what happened with Rich and Norm after you took off, but you were going to kill Norm anyway. Rich seemed pissed off about what had happened, and you felt like you had some explaining to do. The trick was, how do you bring it up without setting him off again? You were getting close to the outer doors and were grateful that the event staff had a discreet car service for people that needed to leave and not want to be seen. Rich opened the door to the suv for you and let you get in first. Once the door was closed, the silence was broken.

     “How long have we known each other?” he was blunt.

     “About eight years,” you were quiet.

     “In all that time, you never thought to mention that you knew Norman Reedus, or that you dated him?” his voice was accusatory.

     “It never really came up, Rich. You don’t talk about the people you’ve dated either, and we don’t ask one another about them,” you pointed out. “And since when do you care?”

     He fell silent again. You could feel him fuming next to you. You wanted to assure him, but you didn’t know how. You weren’t ready to tell him how you felt.

     “Eight years,” he grumbled, “that’s a long time to keep that little nugget tucked away. I guess if I ever need to keep a secret, I know who to tell.”

     “Are you really mad at me for not telling you?”

     “Yeah, I guess I am,” he turned back to the window.

     The last thing you wanted was for Rich to be mad at you, but he had no reason for it. He was acting like…

     “Oh my god,” you whispered.

     “What?” he growled.

     Now you understood why Norman did the things he’d done. He’d seen it right away. You couldn’t believe how stupid you’d been. Too shocked, you had no words of explanation for Rich.

     “Nothing,” you squeaked out and the rest of the ride to the hotel was silent.

 

 

     When you got back to the hotel, Rich walked you to your room to make sure you got in safely. He was still upset, you could see, and he was going to leave to go to his room if you didn’t stop him.

     “Rich, would you at least come inside and talk to me?” you pleaded. The silent ride back to the hotel had been awful.

     Resignation crossed over his features as he walked inside.

     “Okay, I admit, it was shitty of me not to tell you. I hope you will forgive me. I didn’t really want to talk about him. Whenever I’ve told a guy I’ve gone out with him, they get weird on me, so I just stop,” you sat down on your bed and finally took off your shoes. “Will you at least come out with us tonight?”

     “Why? I thought you two looked pretty chummy back there at the con,” he said, that hint of anger still there. “Wouldn’t want to get in the way of anything.”

     He wasn’t ready to listen yet.

     “Okay, fine,” you were exhausted. “I can’t make you go. Sit in your hotel room and be a miserable shit the rest of the night.” If he wanted to be Dick, you could play that game, too. “Maybe we’ll get back together and I can just tell you all of the details then.”

     He bit back using Norman’s own words, “See ya later, sweetheart.”

 

 

     You’d tried to lay down for a while after your shower, but you were too wound up to sleep. You had on your skinny jeans and your favorite going out top as you laid on your bed, contemplating the fuckery you had just participated in. Of course, you understood where Rich was coming from, but he was being an ass. He seemed to assume that because Norman was around that you would just go running back into his arms? You’d wanted to tell him that he was jealous for no reason. You’d wanted to tell him all of it when he was in your hotel room, but the jerk had taken out his jealousy on you instead. Even so, you still felt a little bad about needling him further, but only a little.

     A knock at your door both startled you and gave you hope. Maybe Rich had gotten over it enough and was coming to get you? You sprang out of bed and rushed to the door.

     “Rich?” you said, opening the door.

     “I fucking knew it. You do have a thing for that guy,” Norman said with a smug look on his face.

     “What the fuck are you doing here? I thought we were meeting down at the bar?” you were dumbfounded. Norman had always been the king of incognito where you were concerned.

     “Nice to see you, too. Can I come in or are you gonna leave my ass hanging out in the hall?” he asked.

     “What for?”

     “Geeze, no faith. I have a plan for you and Mr. Growly,” he said, still smirking.

     You pushed the door open and let your former lover in, wondering what in the hell he had cooked up in the few hours you’d been apart.

 

 

          You sat at a high-top table with your Supernatural friends, Briana and Kim on either side. Norman was off getting you another Cap ‘n’ Coke. You’d really thought that Rich would show up. The lack of his presence at your table was more than a little noticeable. Rich was the kind of guy that thrived on his friendships and it just didn’t feel right to not have him there. The mood of the table was off.

     Norman came back with your drink and noticed that Mr. Growly still hadn’t showed up. He handed (Y|N) her drink, of which she took a big gulp before he could warn her.

     When she started coughing, he said, “Hey that’s mostly rum,” with a chuckle.

     “No shit,” you coughed.

     “Better finish it off,” Norman said in your ear, “he just walked in.”

     Knowing he was right and that you would need the brace, you took another big gulp. Norm’s plan was going to require you to be more of jerk than you were used to. Norm squeezed your shoulder in reassurance. He was an actor, after all, he knew how to make it look good for the audience. When he told you his plan, you socked him in the shoulder and told him he better not make it look TOO real.

     Rich came strolling over to the table, saying hello to everyone, but barely acknowledging you and Norman. It stung a bit, but you still tried to do what Norman had told you.

     “Hi Rich, I thought you weren’t coming,” you tried to be casual.

     “Yeah, well, here I am,” he said, obviously bitter and faking his glib tone.

     _Jesus, Norman was right_ , you thought. You were right, too, if you were being honest. He was acting like a jealous teenager. What had been hard to accept was that it was because of you. The conversation at the table continued on as though Rich had been there the whole time, but the energy coming off of him was palpable, he was practically sizzling.

     “So, sweetheart, when are you gonna come back to Georgia? It’s been stupid crazy down there since you left. You really need to come back and hang out with us,” Norman said to you, but loud enough that the whole table heard.

     “Oh, I don’t know,” you said, playing along. “I have a few things to take care of in Vancouver, but once the season is done, I can come down and get back together with you all.”

     _Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck. Jesus, I can feel the daggers coming off of him._

     “Yes! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Norm said expertly, and Rich took a drink from his own glass.

     The chords of a very familiar song began to play on the jukebox. Elvis’ version of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” filled the bar.

     Norman grabbed your arm and pulled you off your bar stool.

     “C’mon, doll, they’re playing our song!” he said.

     He led you out into the small dance floor by the jukebox and pulled you close. You put your arms around his broad shoulders and started swaying to the music with him.

     “We don’t have a song, Norm,” you said into his ear.

     “I know that, but your guy doesn’t know that,” he said. He was clearly having fun with this role.

     “What’s he doing?” you asked.

     “Killing me with his mind,” he chuckled and put his hand on your shoulder, slowly moving you in a circle. “You know, I was mostly serious about you coming down to Georgia. It would be cool to have you back.”

     “Norm,” you said, “I like where I am. I like the people I work with, and…” you caught sight of Rich and saw the hurt and the anger all the way across the space between you.

     “And you kind of love him,” he finished.

     “Yeah, I think I do. I’d like to find out anyway,” you admitted.

    “I should never have let you go,” he said. “I hope he makes you happy, (Y|N). I mean that. Now, laugh a little and touch my face.”

     You were feeling a little melancholy for the time you’d had with Norman, but what you’d had with him wasn’t the same. It hadn’t been that hard to walk away. Norm was a great guy and you loved him, but it just wasn’t what either of you deserved. The thought of Rich never speaking to you again, of him not being in your life, it wasn’t something you wanted to think about. You reached up and brushed back his hair from Norm’s forehead. He growled a little, kissed your cheek, then pressed his cheek to yours as he continued dancing with you.

 

 

     “Where the hell have you been, I thought you’d be here an hour ago,” Briana scolded.

     He’d seriously debated even showing up. He didn’t want to be around to see (Y|N) and Norman rekindle their romance, but he thought he might have a chance to stop it if he could just get her alone.

     Briana nudged him and pointed to (Y|N) and Norman on the dancefloor, “You just gonna let that go, Dick?”

     He didn’t say anything, he just observed the two dancing. It wasn’t until she touched his face that he had enough and got up from his seat and crossed over to where they were.

 

 

 

     “Mind if I cut in?” he asked when they stopped to look at him.

     Norm looked from Rich to you and back again before he said, “Nah, man, not at all.”

     Rich looked like acid was shooting out of his eyes, but you were interested to see where this went and if Norman’s plan had worked or not. As he was getting past you to go back to the group, he gave you a swat on the ass, startling you but still making you smile.

     “Did he just?? I’m gonna kill him!” he was seething.

     “Rich, stop it! He’s just helping,” you tried to calm him. You’d never seen him like this before and it was a little unsettling, but also a little hot.

     “Helping? Helping what? Himself to you?”

     “You better be very careful about what you say next, mister Speight,” you warned, still letting him take you in his arms for another slow song.

     “Me? Please tell me you didn’t fall for anything he said…” his words were dripping with derision.

     “Excuse the hell out of me?” you said.

     “You aren’t really going to go back to Georgia, are you?” he mocked.

     “It’s not like I have anything in Vancouver that is going to keep me there. Besides, Norm will keep me busy,” you said.

     “Oh, I bet he will. From what I saw, he was already keeping you plenty busy,” he said.

     “Who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that? You’ve never made the slightest move on me, never once said you were even the least bit interested in me. You don’t even know Norman,” you were hurt and you decided you’d had enough of that day. “Why the fuck do you suddenly care who I dance with?” You pushed him away hard.

     He stared at you for a moment, a rush of emotions crossing his face.

     “Why do I care?! Because I love you!”

     There was a marked drop in the noise level in the bar. You could feel everyone’s eyes on you, including all of your friends from Supernatural.

     “Oh hell no! You don’t just get to say that and expect everything to be all hunky dory, nah!” you said and walked off the dance floor to the nearest door, fearing you might pass out if you didn’t get outside immediately.

     Your panic factor was kicking in hardcore. You needed to get out of there. The walls were suddenly too close and there were people seemingly everywhere. Finding a long hall to the restrooms, you kept going straight for the door at the end of the hallway that had an “exit” sign hung on it. You didn’t know what you’d expected to happen with forcing Rich’s hand, but you hadn’t expected that. To have him say it out loud like that… but why did he have to be such a dick about it?

     Finally, outside in the fresh air, you were able to breathe again. If every convention was like this, you weren’t sure you wanted to go to anymore. It was almost too much to bear. The familiar sting began in your nose and traveled to your eyes, the tears filling your eyes making it difficult to see. You turned your back to the sound of the ‘exit’ door opening and returning to closed.

     “(Y|N)?” he said from behind you. “Do you love him?”

     “Go fuck yourself, Rich,” you said, your throat thick with emotion.

     “I gotta know, darlin’,” he said, the pain evident in his voice.

     “Oh, now I’m ‘darlin’, huh?” you were done hiding your hurt. “Yes, I love Norm, always will. And before you go off half-cocked again, it’s not what you think. We just couldn’t make it work. We were better friends than we were ever anything else. I see him once, maybe twice a year.”

     “Then why was he all over you like that out there?” he asked, inching closer to you.

     “I think there was a small part of him… maybe both of us, that wanted to see if the old spark was still there,” you admitted. “It might have been there for him, but it wasn’t for me.”

     “What changed?” he asked, getting within arm’s reach of you.

     “I fell in love with my dick of a best friend,” you said, finally looking at him.

     He moved in a blur. His hands cradling your head as his lips crashed into yours. His strong arms moved down and crushed your body to his and you responded in turn. For so long, you’d wanted to know what it was like to be in just that position, it was like heaven, if it were a hot and steamy place. You wanted to devour him. His lips didn’t need to force yours apart, you wanted all of him just the way he wanted you. Not realizing he’d been guiding you to the wall until it was pressed against your back, you moaned into him as you felt him pressing hard against you. His tongue swirling and lapping at your own sent you into a state of euphoria. After a few moments, the passion you both felt slowed down and he leaned back, his body still holding you firmly to the wall behind you.

     “What do we do now?” his thumb stroked your jaw.

     “I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out.”


End file.
